"The life, death and resurrection of Jesus are not an epiphany, a simple showing of God, a moment in which the world's history is touched and changed. There is a specific shape to the story: it is part of a history marked by a strong dimension of conflict. The gospels make it harshly clear that belonging with Jesus upsets other kinds of belonging –– of family, of status, even of membership of the children of Abraham. Jesus on the cross is consciously portrayed as isolated, condemned by the political and religious communities to which, in one sense, he belonged." - Rowan Williams, 'Incarnation and the Renewal of Community' in On Christian Theology, p. 229.
We discussed this text in one of my lectures yesterday. At one point, the lecturer said to us, "I think Rowan's question is, 'are you taking your understanding of Christian identity from the gospel and the community formed around it or from a set of contingent social and political structures?'"
This is one of the most profound questions I've ever been asked. How would you respond?
For peace in the world, that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Helen this is great! But where are you finding the distinction between which social and political structures are part of the gospel and which ones are contingent?
ReplyDeleteOo. Good question, Charis. I wonder if all social and political structures are contingent, even the ones formed within 'gospel communities' (i.e. the Church .... interestingly, Rowan names the Church as a temporary structure, holding a place until God's kingdom comes). But that still leaves us with the question of what it looks like to form our Christian identity around Christ if we have no choice but to set up some sort of moveable shack. Perhaps it's more a matter of shaping our social and political structures around Christ, rather than the other way around. So as things like family and nation get redefined throughout history, do we try to hold onto the structures in and of themselves, or do we seek to have that contingency redeemed by inviting Christ to reinvent those spaces for us?
ReplyDeleteAhh. So even though the gospel is social and political, the structures that it forms remain contingent and open to change?
ReplyDeleteNice. Yeah - I think that might be it. Thought provoking, eh?
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